Anti-adhesive device for combination washer-drier



ANTI-ADHESIVE DEVICE FOR COMBINATION WASHER-DRIER Filed Feb. 2, 1959 T. R. SMITH March 28, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 28, 1961 T. R. SMITH 2,976,712

ANTI-ADHESIVE DEVICE FOR COMBINATION WASHER-DRIER Filed Feb. 2, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 2 ,jjnvenro r Thomas Qsmirh United States Patent ANTI-ADHESIVE DEVICE FOR COMBINATION WASHER-DRIER Thomas R. Smith, Newton, Iowa, assignor to The Maytag Company, Newton, Iowa, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 2, 19-59, Ser. No. 790,466

2 Claims. (Cl. 68-19) This invention relates, as indicated, to an anti-adhesive device for tumblers, and, more particularly, to a device in a laundry machine for preventing articles of clothing from sticking to the drum side wall during tumbling operations.

In a combination washer-drier, for example, the clothes drum, mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis, is conventionally designed to rotate at tumbling and centrifuging speeds. During the washing operation, the clothes are tumbled as the drum is slowly turned. However, during the water extraction operations, while the drum is rotated at high centrifuging speeds, the clothes are flattened against the side wall. After the centrifuging operation, the clothes are dried while the drum is again rotated at a slow tumbling speed. However, certain articles of clothing, previously flattened against the side wall during the centrifuging operation, sometimes stick, or adhere, to the drum side wall during the drying operation, even though the drum is slowly rotated at a speed at which the clothes will ordinarily tumble. This presents serious difliculties, since the adhering articles are not evenly dried. In some instances, portions of the clothing sticking to the side wall are overheated, with consequent injury, or damage thereto.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device for preventing the adhesion or sticking of material to the interior walls of a tumbling drum. It is a further object of the invention to provide an antiadhesive device for a clothes receptacle in a washing machine. It is another object of the invention to provide a device for separating the materials from the side wall of a tumbling drum. It is still another object of the invention to provide a tumbling drum which permits the clothes to flatten out against the side wall during high rotational speeds, but will separate the articles of clothing from the side wall at low speeds. Further objects and advantages of this invention will became evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a combination washer-drier, partially broken away, to show the rotating clothes drum, embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, to show the clothes drum, illustrating the right side of the combination washer-drier of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section of the clothes drum of Figure l, illustrated by the dotted line showing the flexing action of the inner wall member; and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, to show the drive mechanism illustrating the left side of the combination washer-drier of Figure 1.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the combination washer-drier unit, indicated generally by reference numeral 10, has a cabinet 11 in which is mounted a tub 12 on a pivot 14. The pivot a ICC allows the tub 12 to oscillate back and forth in an armate movement in response to various forces generated therein. The tub is maintained in an upright position on pivot 14 by centering springs 15 connected between the tub and the base of the cabinet 11.

Tub 12 includes a generally cylindrical side wall 17, a pair of spaced rear end walls 18, 19, and a front Wall 20. The spaced rear walls 18, 19 support the tub bearing assembly generally indicated by reference numeral 23.

The tub bearing assembly 23 includes a spacer hub 24 located between, and abutting, the rear walls 18, 19. The hub 24 contains a pair of bearings (not shown) in which isjournaled the drum drive shaft 26.

To the rear end of the drum drive shaft 26 is rigidly secured a large drive pulley 27 located at the rear of the tub 12. On the opposite end of the drive shaft 26 is secured the clothes drum, or receptacle 28.

The clothes drum 28 includes a perforate rear wall 29 which is rigidly aflixed to a spider-like member 30 to form a double cone support in order to rigidly support the clothes drum on shaft 26. The clothes drum also includes a rigid cylindrical side wall 32 having clothes elevating vanes 33 on the interior face thereof. Side wall 32 is converged into a short front wall 36 and is joined to the rear wall 29.

The side wall 32 is perforated. In the clothes drum illustrated in the drawings, the perforations are in the form of openings, or apertures 34. The perforations permit air currents to pass through the drum as required, for example, during a drying operation.

The front wall 36 has a circular loading opening 37 through which articles of -clothing are inserted, or removed, from drum 28. A rectangular door 38 hinged on the cabinet 11 permits access to the interior of the drum 28.

As shown in Figure 4, the power necessary to rotate the drum 28 through the large drive pulley 27 is supplied by a motor 40 supported on the motor housing bracket 41, which is fastened to the lower portion of the tub 12. A transmission 43, driven by motor 40 through the universal joint 44, and input shaft 45 constituting an extension of the motor shaft, is also secured to the tub 12. A transmission output shaft 50 is connected to output pulley 51. Output pulley 51 is in turn connected to the large drum drive pulley 27 through belt 42.

A solenoid 53 is associated with the transmission 43 for changing the rotational speed of the output shaft 50 and output pulley 51. Drum 28 is rotated at a slow tumbling speed of approximately 50 revolutions per minute whenever the solenoid 53 is deenergized, and rotated at a high centrifuging speed of approximately 300 revolutions per minute whenever the solenoid 53 is energized.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, flexible inner wall sections are mounted on the interior surface of the drum 28. The flexible inner wall sections are fastened to the drum side wall 32 at spaced points 54 by grommets, or the like, in a manner such that gravity will cause the flexible wall sections to move away from the rigid side wall 32 at slow tumbling speeds. However, the flexible wall sections will be moved toward the rigid side wall 32 at high centrifuging speeds. The flexible wall sections may be of plastic, rubber, or any other material that will flex away from the side wall 32 at tumbling speeds. A flat leaf spring (not shown) may be mounted between the rigid side wall 32 and the flexible inner wall 60 to assist gravity in moving the inner flexible wall away from the rigid side wall 32 at slow speeds.

The flexible inner wall sections 60 may be formed with openings 61 for communicating with the perforations 34 in the rigid side wall 32, so that air may freely circulate through the drum 28. As illustrated in the device shown in the drawings of the present application, the openings 61 in the flexible, wall 60 match, or are opposite to, the

perforations 34 in the rigid drum side wall 32 for. per-H rnitting communication between the respective openings in the inner wall sections 60 and drum side wall 32.

The flexible inner wall 360 may have small raised pro-1 the flexible wall 60 and the rigid wall 32; The raised projections allow the flexible wall to be more readily separated from the rigid wall. Obviously, the'projections may be alternatively formed on the side wall 32 of drum 28.

From the foregoing, operation of the device of the in-. vention is believed to be apparent. Articles of clothing are inserted in the drum 28 through the door 38.. The laundry machine is actuated through a series of washing, centrifuging, and drying operations. During the washing' and drying cycles,'the drum 28 will be rotated. at slow tumbling speeds in which the articles of clothingare tumbled. After washing, the clothes are centrifuged at high spin speeds, during which the clothing articles are flattened against the flexible inner wall 60. At the same time, the flexible inner wall sections are also held against the rigid side wall 32 of'the drum. In the tumbling operations following spinning, the flexible inner wall 60 is distorted, or flexed, away from the rigid wall 32 of the drum by gravity, and the articles of clothing which had been previously centrifuged thereagainst are loosened pedient," without departing from the spirit or scope of this from contact with the inner wall sections by their flexing movement, or distortion. In' this way the articles of clothing-are prevented from adhering to the interior sur face of the drum during the tumbling operations. 1 In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a genelieand descriptive sense only, and not for purposesof limitation; Changes in form and the proportion of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalents are contemplated, as circumstances may suggest or render exinvention as further defined in the following claims.

I claim: 7

1. In a combination washer-drier unit: a drum mounted for rotation about a substantially longitudinal axis and having a perforate rigid cylindrical side wall structure, means for rotating saidrdrum at centrifuging and tumbling speeds, and flexible inner wall member sections secured at spaced intervals to said perforate rigid side wall structure for flexing movements away from said cylindrical side wall as said drum is rotated at tumbling speeds and for movements toward said cylindrical side wall structure as said drum is rotated at centrifuging speeds, saidflexible inner wall member sections being provided with a plurality of openings in communication with said perforations in said rigid side wall structure and a plurality of projections facing said rigid side wall structure to space said flexible inner wall members therefrom and prevent sealing contact therebetvyjeen.-

2. Ina laundry machine, the combination comprising a drum mounted for rotation about a nonvertical axis and haying a rigid cylindrical side wall structure, a plurality of openings in said rigid side wall structure, means for rotating said drum at tumbling and centrifuging speeds, and flexible inner wall member sections secured at spaced intervals to said rigid side wall structure for flexing movements between said securing intervals away fromsaid cylindrical side wall as said drum is rotated at tumbling speeds and for flexing movement toward said side wall as said drum is rotated at centrifuging speeds, and a plurality of openings in said flexible inner wall member sections in communication with said openings in said rigid side wall structure.

' I t References Cited in the file of this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS Brown Jan. 6, 1959 Stone et a1. Jan. 6, 1959 

